Interesting Criminal Stories For July 2014
A former Eastchester police officer who accidently shot his friend while carelessly showing off his gun, which resulted in an accident discharged, may be paroled from jail following his manslaughter conviction. This was one of several police officers from Westchester County who have faced murder charges in the last several years.
The spa prostitution cases are a familiar occurrence in Queens and Manhattan but are rarely seen in the suburbs of Westchester County and Rockland County. This week several women who worked at spas in Clarkstown, Nyack and Nanuet were charged with prostitution and giving massages without a license. Ironically, giving massages without a license is a felony, punishable by over a year in jail, while prostitution is only a misdemeanor. New developments in the law concerning prostitution cases have taken a positive step in protecting victims of human trafficking, which often occurs in these spa type cases. Where there is evidence that the person convicted of prostitution is actually a human trafficking victim, New York law now provides a mechanism to have the conviction vacated.
This was also an active week in arrests for Driving While Intoxicated. There were 17 arrests in the Hudson valley for driving while intoxicated ranging from New Rochelle and Greenburgh to Bedford and farther North.
The Federal Bureau of Investigations found evidence of corporate espionage and wire tapping at a Ford engineering location. Following the execution of a search warrant, the Federal Government recovered eight separate listening devices. A former employee is at present the prime suspect. #Federalcriminalcharges against former employees who steal trade secrets is increasing in frequency in the New York metropolitan area.
A 29 year old fare jumper who shot and injured a New York City Police Officer received a twenty five year prison sentence in a Brooklyn Court this week, after sarcastically remarking that the officer, could still walk.
The F.B.I. is investigating New York City Police Department police brutality and civil rights abuses involved in the recent choking incidents. Video tape evidence in the recent choking wrongful death Garner incident shows that the victim complained that he could not breath 11 separate times, but the officer continued to choke him. Eric Holder commented that his office was monitoring the City’s investigation. Our New York City civil rights lawyers hope that the public pressure will cause some reforms.
A new law just passed the assembly and is on its way to the Governor’s desk, which transferred the ability to prosecute crimes that occur at the Rikers Island Correctional Facility to the Queens District Attorney’s Office. Even though Rikers Island sits in the water between the Bronx and Queens, it is on the Bronx side of the line, even though its entrance and mailing address are in East Elmhurst Queens. The transfer of power came amid numerous complaints that the Bronx District Attorney’s office was over zealous in prosecuting corrections officers and turned a blind eye towards prosecuting inmates who commit crimes in Rikers Island. Corrections union officials commented that the Bronx District Attorney’s office is indicting every officer accused of using any force on an inmate because the prosecutors fear being second-guessed.